- School of Social Science
University of Queensland
St Lucia Qld 4072 Australia
- University of Otago, Archaeology Programme, Department Memberadd
- Archaeological Science, Pacific Archaeology, Lithic Raw Material Sourcing, Hawaiian Prehistory, Hawaiian archaeology, Geochemical sourcing, and 7 moreCoastal and Island Archaeology, Polynesian Archaeology, Archaeometry, Zooarchaeology, Pacific Island Studies, Ancient Quarrying, and Oceania (Archaeology)edit
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Prehistoric East Polynesia was never part of the truly global community, but many of the processes that underpin and drive globalization were incorporated into the region’s social fabric from the beginning. These processes are concerned... more
Prehistoric East Polynesia was never part of the truly global community, but many of the processes that underpin and drive globalization were incorporated into the region’s social fabric from the beginning. These processes are concerned with connectedness, as globalization has been dened simply as a form of connectivity (Robertson 2014; see also Feinman this volume, Jennings this volume, Knappett this volume). Connectedness is about the establishment and maintenance of social and economic ties between communities and, in most parts of the world, it is described as emerging out of social, demographic and technological processes. East Polynesia is fundamentally dierent, as connectivity was introduced in nished form by the rst settlers. This distinction is important because the East Polynesian case highlights the pivotal role of connectivity as a colonization strategy, as a condition of geography and as a process contributing to long-term sustainability. Furthermore, determining the spatial, temporal and diverse nature of connectedness between island societies at the scale of island, archipelago and broader region is essential for understanding prehistoric East Polynesian culture change. Indeed, the hallmark of East Polynesian societies was the expansive and diverse nature of community inter-connections, a trait inherited from Austronesian forebears.
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Research Interests: Cultural Studies, Geography, Prehistoric Archaeology, Biological Anthropology, Skeletal Biology, and 12 moreArchaeological Science, Interaction, Polynesia, Marshall Islands, Micronesian Diaspora, Micronesia Archaeology, Radiocarbon Dating, Polynesian Migrations, Artefact Assemblage Studies (archaeology), Micronesia, Micronesian Studies, and Atoll
... Similar stones, encased in tree roots, have washed ashore on Caroline Atoll in the southern Line Islands (M. Weisler, personal observation 2008). ... Both specimens were analyzed for oxides and trace elements (see Fankhauser 20027.... more
... Similar stones, encased in tree roots, have washed ashore on Caroline Atoll in the southern Line Islands (M. Weisler, personal observation 2008). ... Both specimens were analyzed for oxides and trace elements (see Fankhauser 20027. Fankhauser, B. 2002. ...
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The well known Polynesian ethnographer and archaeologist, Kenneth Pike Emory, surveyed the island of Lana'i, Hawai'ian Islands, in 1921 and conducted one of the first extensive seuJement pattern studies in Polynesia. More than 65... more
The well known Polynesian ethnographer and archaeologist, Kenneth Pike Emory, surveyed the island of Lana'i, Hawai'ian Islands, in 1921 and conducted one of the first extensive seuJement pattern studies in Polynesia. More than 65 years after he visited the largest adze quarry on the island al Kapohaku, this important adze production cenire was relocated, and a surface collection of flakes, adze blanks and preforms was made. The assemblage is described and a reduction sequence is proposed for the production of adzes from flakes. Technological comparisons with other adze quarries in Polynesia suggest Polynesian-wide similarities in the production of flake adzes. Peirographic descriptions and geochemical characterisation of quarry rock are presented.
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ABSTRACT Prehistoric Long-Distance Interaction in Oceania: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Marshall I. Weisler. ed. Monograph 21. Auckland, New Zealand: New Zealand Archaeological Association, 1997. 238 pp.
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ABSTRACT Prehistoric molluscan assemblages provide insights into long-term patterns of human landscape use, environmental change, and human impacts to marine resources. The investigation of forager decision-making regarding the selection... more
ABSTRACT Prehistoric molluscan assemblages provide insights into long-term patterns of human landscape use, environmental change, and human impacts to marine resources. The investigation of forager decision-making regarding the selection of certain mollusc taxa and/or the exploitation of particular habitats is fundamental to understanding human-environment interactions in the past, and is relevant for understanding trajectories of human impacts to the intertidal zone in coastal settings. We document variability in the collection of molluscs at two archaeological sites on Ebon Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands: one on a windward, intermittently occupied islet, and the other on a permanently inhabited leeward islet. All molluscan taxa were assigned to a range of habitats within a hierarchical classification scheme for intertidal marine environments. The relative abundance of taxa from each habitat was used as a proxy for forager decision-making. We report a generalized, non-selective, foraging strategy focused on gastropod taxa from the high intertidal and supratidal. These results indicate that rather than focusing intensively on select taxa, intertidal foragers targeted particular marine habitats, taking advantage of the predictable behaviors of the molluscs that inhabit them.
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... in sustaining isolated populations) and how human colonistsaltered insular landsc,!,pesand causedfaunal extinc-tions.It isawued that Henderson Island prehistory ... 979, 1987, 1989; Green 1979, 1982; Irwin 1980; Jennings 1979; Kirch... more
... in sustaining isolated populations) and how human colonistsaltered insular landsc,!,pesand causedfaunal extinc-tions.It isawued that Henderson Island prehistory ... 979, 1987, 1989; Green 1979, 1982; Irwin 1980; Jennings 1979; Kirch and Hunt 1988; Spriggs 1984; Terrell 1986 ...
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Biology, Ecology, Ethnology, and 6 morePrehistory, Field Archaeology, Colonization, Flora, Colonisation, and Fauna
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... The Mauna Kea adze quarry complex atop Hawai'i Island is by far the largest Neolithic adze quarry in the Pacific. ... The Mauna Kea adze quarry: technological analyses and experimental tests. Doctoral dissertation. Ann... more
... The Mauna Kea adze quarry complex atop Hawai'i Island is by far the largest Neolithic adze quarry in the Pacific. ... The Mauna Kea adze quarry: technological analyses and experimental tests. Doctoral dissertation. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms International. ...
Research Interests: Geography, Archaeology, Geology, Pacific Archaeology, World Archaeology, and 12 moreAncient Quarrying, Social organization, Radiocarbon Dating, Age Determination, Hawaiian Prehistory, Product Distribution, Hawaiian Islands, Quarries, Radiocarbon Chronology, Social Organization, Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Adze
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There is arguably no better place than Oceania to practice a comparative “historical science” such as archaeology. The Pacific encompasses more than 100 million km2 of ocean, thousands of islands of all shapes and sizes, and enormous... more
There is arguably no better place than Oceania to practice a comparative “historical science” such as archaeology. The Pacific encompasses more than 100 million km2 of ocean, thousands of islands of all shapes and sizes, and enormous biotic diversity. Human colonization began here some 40,000 years ago in the archipelagoes of the southwestern Pacific and as recently as under a millennium ago at the far eastern margins of the “Great Ocean,” in New Zealand. Patrick Kirch is a long‐standing expert in the area with more than 30 years’ experience in field research and the author of over a dozen books and monographs and more than 150 articles.
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ABSTRACT Recent observations of fishing, the ethnohistoric literature, the archaeological fishing tool kit, marine environments adjacent to the site, and the fish bone assemblage were considered to understand fishing strategies on the... more
ABSTRACT Recent observations of fishing, the ethnohistoric literature, the archaeological fishing tool kit, marine environments adjacent to the site, and the fish bone assemblage were considered to understand fishing strategies on the makatea island of Rurutu, Austral Islands, French Polynesia. Excavations totalling 53.5 m2 at the Peva dune site (ON1) were conducted in 2003. The sandy, calcareous deposits from Area 2 (33 m2) were dry sieved through 3.2 mm mesh and 5,011 fish bones weighing 2,229.7 g were retained for analysis. Two distinct cultural layers were identified. Archaic period layer D had 20 fish families inventoried from a total of 141 minimum numbers of individuals (MNI) and 1,081 numbers of identified specimens (NISP). Average bone weight was 0.42 g and median vertebra width between 5–6 mm (n=747). The Classic period layer A, associated with a marae complex, contained only seven fish families, a MNI of 24 and NISP of 403. Average bone weight was 0.63 g and median vertebra width between 10–11 mm (n=107). While a broad spectrum fish capture strategy is inferred for the Archaic, selective larger fish, including an order of magnitude increase in shark, were likely prestige items used in ritual offerings during the Classic period. Comparisons of the archaeological assemblages from five makatea islands show that in all but one case, sites are dominated by groupers, unlike many other Pacific island sites where parrotfish are most frequent. This, alone, might be the unique signature of makatea assemblages.
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... Since Williamson and Sabath (1982) demonstrated a significant relationship between modern population size and environment show-Department of Anthropology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand,... more
... Since Williamson and Sabath (1982) demonstrated a significant relationship between modern population size and environment show-Department of Anthropology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand, marshall.weisler@stonebow.otago.ac.nz. ...
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Volcanic glass has been used the world over for manufacturing a range of cutting tools used for utilitarian as well as ceremonial purposes. In Polynesia, aside from the mata 'a of Easter Island, few formal tools are made and routine... more
Volcanic glass has been used the world over for manufacturing a range of cutting tools used for utilitarian as well as ceremonial purposes. In Polynesia, aside from the mata 'a of Easter Island, few formal tools are made and routine artifact forms are simple flakes and cores approximately 20 mm in size. Flakes rarely exhibit retouch or use-wear and few flakes in a typical assemblage appear used. However, volcanic glass flakes and debitage are common artifacts in early sites in Samoa and Tonga, often associated with the first pottery-bearing deposits. Hawaiian volcanic glass artifacts are found throughout the sequence. Obsidian is well attested in New Zealand archaeological sites, where it is found as flakes throughout all time periods and across all regions (Sheppard 2004; Sheppard et al. 2011). Despite the presence of a substantial source of large boulders and cobbles on Mayor Island, New Zealand, formal tools were not made, while large and small flakes, some with retouch, were common. This paper summarizes the distribution of volcanic glass throughout Polynesia except Easter Island and New Zealand and describes the prehistoric uses as inferred from use-wear studies and recent residue analyses. Volcanic glass artifacts and source material have also been used effectively in documenting prehistoric interaction, and these initial pursuits are outlined.
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Research Interests: History, Geography, Archaeology, Archaeobotany, Environmental Archaeology, and 13 moreCharcoal analysis (Archaeology), Palaeobotany, Prehistory, Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, General, Prehistoric agriculture, Human Ecodynamics, Pollen analysis, NPP analysis, Oceanic Prehistory, Wood Evonomy, Swamp, and subfossil
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... lions of years, and geochemical signatures at the geo-vated, numerous pearl shell fishhooks, 14 stone adzes, coral and echinoid-spine abraders, human burials, and graphic scale of archipelago and islandand, in some cases, even... more
... lions of years, and geochemical signatures at the geo-vated, numerous pearl shell fishhooks, 14 stone adzes, coral and echinoid-spine abraders, human burials, and graphic scale of archipelago and islandand, in some cases, even individual flowshave been shown to be ...
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Bluff Harbour, Murihiku (Southland) was the location of a stone tool production system during the earliest period of New Zealand settlement by Polynesians. The system focused on the production of adzes from Bluff argillite, a tough... more
Bluff Harbour, Murihiku (Southland) was the location of a stone tool production system during the earliest period of New Zealand settlement by Polynesians. The system focused on the production of adzes from Bluff argillite, a tough metasedimentary rock obtained primarily from Coylers Island in the north of the harbour. To better understand quarrying and reduction strategies on Colyers Island, we undertook investigations there which included the surface collection of 148 adze blanks and test excavations. We created 3D models of these blanks to analyse raw material properties and reduction strategies. The results established there was a single manufacturing sequence that began at the Colyers Island quarry and finished at the nearby settlement site of Tiwai Point, as the same blank selection strategies and manufacturing techniques were observed at both locations. Importantly, a marked distinction was made between the early-stage blanks from Colyers Island, and the later stages of reduction of Tiwai Point blanks and preforms. The connection between these two locales indicates a distinct system of adze manufacture that was established to supply adzes to communities up to 500 km distant.
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The many facets of prehistoric interaction are explored, from providing essential resources for small founding groups to maintaining social, economic, and political alliances to establishing and furthering prestige and status to island... more
The many facets of prehistoric interaction are explored, from providing essential resources for small founding groups to maintaining social, economic, and political alliances to establishing and furthering prestige and status to island and coastal communities. The authors debunk the "myth of isolation" and provide some parameters for de ning, describing, and analyzing interaction networks. They argue that the changing economic and social con gurations of prehistoric interaction networks can be best addressed through multidisciplinary pursuits involving a range of specialists, especially outside of archaeology. The pallet of technical possibilities is almost endless for de ning island and coastal interaction networks, and interpreting the spatial and temporal characteristics of interaction spheres will take an equally sophisticated theoretical perspective for teasing out the importance of this "social glue."
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ABSTRACTWe present three unreported U/Th dates on coral abraders recovered from Lapita occupations at the ‘Otea and Vuna sites, in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. Integrated with existing radiocarbon and U/Th dates for Vava'u, we also... more
ABSTRACTWe present three unreported U/Th dates on coral abraders recovered from Lapita occupations at the ‘Otea and Vuna sites, in Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga. Integrated with existing radiocarbon and U/Th dates for Vava'u, we also provide a single‐phase Bayesian model for Lapita chronology in these islands.
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<p>Boundary ranges are the earliest and lates possible start/end date for Lapita for each group in the overlap model at 68.2% probability. The ranges are 2863–2683 cal BP for Tongatapu, 2772–2716 cal BP for Haʻapai and 2805–2680 cal... more
<p>Boundary ranges are the earliest and lates possible start/end date for Lapita for each group in the overlap model at 68.2% probability. The ranges are 2863–2683 cal BP for Tongatapu, 2772–2716 cal BP for Haʻapai and 2805–2680 cal BP for Vavaʻu. The dashed segment plots U/Th 11–36 (2838 ± 8 cal BP, 95.4%), a date relating to the founder event for human settlement [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0120795#pone.0120795.ref009" target="_blank">9</a>].</p
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ABSTRACT Situated just north of Cape York Peninsula, Australia, the western Torres Strait islands reveal the earliest archaeological evidence for human occupation of Torres Strait at 9000 years ago on Badu. The first evidence for marine... more
ABSTRACT Situated just north of Cape York Peninsula, Australia, the western Torres Strait islands reveal the earliest archaeological evidence for human occupation of Torres Strait at 9000 years ago on Badu. The first evidence for marine resource use of fish and turtle dates to ~7200 cal BP. We describe the salient information on marine exploitation from the ethnographic record, summarise the evidence for shark/ray and finfish exploitation from faunal assemblages excavated at six sites (dating to the past 4000 years) using similar standardised techniques, then compare the archaeological data for fishing to other sites across the tropical Pacific Islands. Using the number of identified specimens (NISP) for all six western Torres Strait assemblages (n=1927), sharks and rays (taxa including Elasmobranchii, Myliobatidiformes or stingrays, four shark familes, and the porcupine ray or Urogymnus asperrimus) accounted for 59.9% of all identified elements. The most abundant finfish were wrasses (Labridae, mostly Bodianus sp.) at 21.3%, parrotfish (Scaridae) 6.3% and groupers (Serranidae) at 2.5%. Seven families provided the remaining ~10%. Fish size was estimated by measuring the diameter of finfish and shark/ray vertebrae, length of emperor otoliths and widths of pharyngeal grinding clusters of parrotfish and wrasses. Live length was commonly &lt;10 cm for finfish and ~1 m for sharks. This small size of the fish represented in sites throughout western Torres Strait reflects a forager capture strategy probably undertaken primarily by women and children walking along the reef flat at low tide gleaning fish stranded in tide pools and shallow water channels. Ethnographically, small fish are targeted due to their superior ‘sweeter’ taste compared to larger fish. Complementary ethnographic and archaeological information indicates that the bulk of marine protein came from socially prestigious dugongs and especially turtles hunted by men. Small sharks may have been targeted when attracted to shoreline dugong/turtle butchering events. No archaeological evidence for fishing technology such as shell fishhooks has been recovered from archaeological excavations. The western Torres Strait islands are unique within the greater tropical Pacific islands region because of: 1) low fish species richness of the assemblages; 2) dominance of sharks and rays in the combined assemblages accounting for ~60% NISP; and 3) small reconstructed length of captured finfish and shark/rays; and, as a consequence, the lack of evidence for an intensive fishery. Further studies of fish bone assemblages from across the 150 km of Torres Strait may demonstrate that this is a common pattern for the region but, if not, documenting the variability of the fishery will be an important task.
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ABSTRACT According to studies in the early 1990s, quarry/habitation site (MO-B6-161) on leeward Moloka&#39;i may have been occupied about a century earlier than regional settlement models imply. In the first instance, we dated nut... more
ABSTRACT According to studies in the early 1990s, quarry/habitation site (MO-B6-161) on leeward Moloka&#39;i may have been occupied about a century earlier than regional settlement models imply. In the first instance, we dated nut shell fragments from the Polynesian introduced candlenut (kukui, Aleurites moluccana), from the original radiocarbon sample collection curated at the Bishop Museum, producing a calibrated age (at 2 σ) of AD 690–895 (Beta-336756). Our renewed excavations obtained appropriate short-lived twig wood for dating in addition to another date on candlenut. Four dates produced a calibrated median age of AD 1770, more in line with expectations for late prehistoric settlement in these marginal leeward regions. However, the oldest date was not contaminated with old carbon and satisfies all aspects of &#39;chronometric hygiene&#39;. Because of this unusually early date (especially on a Polynesian introduced plant), we report in detail its leeward site context, additional dates, depositional context, stratigraphic sequence and the cultural inventory of the MO-B6-161 site as well as the details of sample pretreatment and discuss the absence of sources of carbon contamination. High-quality geochemistry of adze source rock is also presented, thus facilitating island and archipelago-wide interaction studies.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Geology, Geochemistry, Zooarchaeology, Pacific Archaeology, and 12 morePrehistory, Ancient Quarrying, Radiocarbon Dating, Lithic Analysis, Lithic Raw Material Sourcing, Radiocarbon Dating (Archaeology), Hawaiian Prehistory, ICP-OES, Adzes, Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian archaeology, and AMS dating
In 1976, Yosihiko H. Sinoto conducted extensive archaeological survey and excavations on Reao Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago as part of a Japanese, multidisciplinary expedition led by Prof. Sachiko Hatanaka. Primarily excavating three marae... more
In 1976, Yosihiko H. Sinoto conducted extensive archaeological survey and excavations on Reao Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago as part of a Japanese, multidisciplinary expedition led by Prof. Sachiko Hatanaka. Primarily excavating three marae and four habitation sites totalling ∼180 m 2 , more than 25000 vertebrate remains were recovered. We report the identification and analysis of the fauna and contrast the inventories from secular and sacred contexts inferring the ritual use of pig, dog, turtle and tuna (Scombridae), as well as identifying relatively larger parrotfish (Scaridae), groupers (Serranidae), snappers (Lutjanidae), the Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) and sharks/rays (Elasmobranchii) on marae. With a suite of 11 new AMS age determinations, we report the first directly dated precontact records for pig and dog and anchor the marae chronology possibly beginning in the thirteenth century. The 800 calBP dates imply that at least one of the Tuamotu atolls may have emerged nearly two centuries prior to the hypothesised 'cross-over' date of 600 BP. Consequently, the earliest chronology of atoll emergence along the 1000 km length of the Tuamotus might vary, thus providing landscapes for human colonisation at slightly different times which has implications for the speed and tempo of colonisation.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Fish Remains (Zooarchaeology), Ritual, Polynesian Studies, and 14 morePolynesia, Religion and ritual in prehistory, Taphonomy, Polynesian Religions, AMS 14C dating, Archaeology of Ritual, Faunal Analysis, Pacific Islands Archaeology, Archaeological dogs, Archaeozoology, Taphonomy, Polynesian Archaeology, French Polynesia, Scared Space and Architecture, and Commensal Faunas
Adze quarries and sources are some of the most visible, unique and well-preserved Polynesian archaeological sites where stone technology, intensification of production, other aspects of economy, social organisation and ritual practices... more
Adze quarries and sources are some of the most visible, unique and well-preserved Polynesian archaeological sites where stone technology, intensification of production, other aspects of economy, social organisation and ritual practices are anchored together on the landscape. The production and exchange of adzes are associated with complex interaction networks connecting islands and archipelagos up to 4000 km distant making adzes amongst the most widely transferred tools in the Neolithic world. Our review of Polynesian adze quarries and sources demonstrates that site descriptions are uneven hampering regional comparisons based on size, production output and internal complexity. We therefore provide suggestions for future research with the overall goal of making comparisons between these sites more meaningful. We believe it is an exciting time to be studying one of the most important site classes in archaeology not just to know how stone adzes were made, but what we can also learn about the development and variability of complex societies across Polynesia.
Research Interests: Prehistoric Archaeology, Ground Stone Technology, New Zealand Archaeology, Prehistoric polished stone tools, Geochemical sourcing, and 6 moreAncient Quarries, Pacific Islands Archaeology, Polynesian Archaeology, Hawaii, Polynesian prehistory, Settlement of the Pacific, Hawaiian archaeology, and Andesite Quarries
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A major new basalt adze quarry at Nānākuli Valley, Hawaiian Islands is described which now ranks as one of the two largest on O‘ahu and aside from the Mauna Kea adze quarry complex on Hawai‘i island and the Haleakalā source on Maui, is... more
A major new basalt adze quarry at Nānākuli Valley, Hawaiian Islands is described which now ranks as one of the two
largest on O‘ahu and aside from the Mauna Kea adze quarry complex on Hawai‘i island and the Haleakalā source on
Maui, is one of the major quarries in the archipelago. We defined the approximate limits of the quarry complex, located
the in situ geological source of the fine-grained basalt used for adze manufacture, report the petrographic and
geochemical variability of the source rock, and describe the adze reduction strategies from analysis of adze blanks and
preforms, as well as hammerstones and debitage. The geochemical variation of the nine source rocks and artefacts were
defined by a comprehensive array of 10 fully quantitative major element concentrations, 43 trace element abundances,
and high-precision Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios obtained using the state-of-the-art Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry
(TIMS, for Sr isotopes), Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS, for Nd-Pb
isotopes), quadrupole ICP-MS (for trace elements) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry
(ICP-OES, for major elements), respectively. A piece of branch coral was recovered from the surface of a rockshelter that
provided a U-series date of possible quarry use in the mid-13th century. It is advocated that a comprehensive range of
major and trace element concentrations and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios are required for geochemically characterising
adze quarries to facilitate the long-term viability of sourcing studies.
Keywords: Hawaiian Islands, basalt adze quarries, sourcing, adze technology, geochemistry
largest on O‘ahu and aside from the Mauna Kea adze quarry complex on Hawai‘i island and the Haleakalā source on
Maui, is one of the major quarries in the archipelago. We defined the approximate limits of the quarry complex, located
the in situ geological source of the fine-grained basalt used for adze manufacture, report the petrographic and
geochemical variability of the source rock, and describe the adze reduction strategies from analysis of adze blanks and
preforms, as well as hammerstones and debitage. The geochemical variation of the nine source rocks and artefacts were
defined by a comprehensive array of 10 fully quantitative major element concentrations, 43 trace element abundances,
and high-precision Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios obtained using the state-of-the-art Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry
(TIMS, for Sr isotopes), Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS, for Nd-Pb
isotopes), quadrupole ICP-MS (for trace elements) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry
(ICP-OES, for major elements), respectively. A piece of branch coral was recovered from the surface of a rockshelter that
provided a U-series date of possible quarry use in the mid-13th century. It is advocated that a comprehensive range of
major and trace element concentrations and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios are required for geochemically characterising
adze quarries to facilitate the long-term viability of sourcing studies.
Keywords: Hawaiian Islands, basalt adze quarries, sourcing, adze technology, geochemistry
Co-authored with T. L. Jones, A. C. Clarke, M.-A. Cordero, R. C. Green, G. Irwin, K. A. Klar, E. A. Matisoo-Smith, D. Quiróz, J. M. Ramírez-Aliaga, A. A. Storey, and M. I. Weisler. We suggest that the most parsimonious explanation for... more
Co-authored with T. L. Jones, A. C. Clarke, M.-A. Cordero, R. C. Green, G. Irwin, K. A. Klar, E. A. Matisoo-Smith, D. Quiróz, J. M. Ramírez-Aliaga, A. A. Storey, and M. I. Weisler.
We suggest that the most parsimonious explanation for the material, linguistic, biological, mythological, nautical, chronological, and physical anthropological evidence summarized in chapters 1–13 is that Polynesians made pre-Columbian landfalls in the New World. Further, based on this evidence, we identify three likely locations of contact: southern Chile, the Gulf of Guayaquil in South America, and the Santa Barbara Channel in North America. All of these contacts we argue occurred during the late Holocene between approximately cal A.D. 700 and 1350. None of them altered the course of prehistory in these regions in the extreme ways suggested by hyperdiffusionists (i.e., they did not cause the emergence of New World civilizations); nonetheless, local populations in both Polynesia and the Americas were the recipients of new technologies and domesticates that affected their subsistence practices and lives. Cultures changed. This conclusion is not based on any single piece of evidence but rather on the totality. The possibility that Polynesians made such contacts has been discussed and debated for nearly two centuries. Both theoretical resistance to the notion of transoceanic diffusion and lingering ethnocentrism among American scholars have contributed to stubborn dismissal of this idea, especially in the United States. Previously, it was also possible to raise enough doubts about certain empirical patterns that archaeologists had in some cases justification for rejecting transoceanic contacts even in the face of archaeologically, ethnographically, and experimentally demonstrated Polynesian seafaring capabilities. Some of the early counter-arguments, however, were also convoluted and far from parsimonious. Findings from new methods and more rigorous analyses of previously cited and new evidence now make direct cultural contact the simplest possible explanation for the co-occurrence of various cultural and biological traits in Polynesia and the Americas. In our view, convergence, coincidence, and independent adaptive innovation simply do not offer credible alternative explanations for the patterns described in this volume and summarized more briefly below. The archaeological evidence also clearly shows that these patterns are not the result of transference into and through the Pacific by Europeans in postcontact times.
We suggest that the most parsimonious explanation for the material, linguistic, biological, mythological, nautical, chronological, and physical anthropological evidence summarized in chapters 1–13 is that Polynesians made pre-Columbian landfalls in the New World. Further, based on this evidence, we identify three likely locations of contact: southern Chile, the Gulf of Guayaquil in South America, and the Santa Barbara Channel in North America. All of these contacts we argue occurred during the late Holocene between approximately cal A.D. 700 and 1350. None of them altered the course of prehistory in these regions in the extreme ways suggested by hyperdiffusionists (i.e., they did not cause the emergence of New World civilizations); nonetheless, local populations in both Polynesia and the Americas were the recipients of new technologies and domesticates that affected their subsistence practices and lives. Cultures changed. This conclusion is not based on any single piece of evidence but rather on the totality. The possibility that Polynesians made such contacts has been discussed and debated for nearly two centuries. Both theoretical resistance to the notion of transoceanic diffusion and lingering ethnocentrism among American scholars have contributed to stubborn dismissal of this idea, especially in the United States. Previously, it was also possible to raise enough doubts about certain empirical patterns that archaeologists had in some cases justification for rejecting transoceanic contacts even in the face of archaeologically, ethnographically, and experimentally demonstrated Polynesian seafaring capabilities. Some of the early counter-arguments, however, were also convoluted and far from parsimonious. Findings from new methods and more rigorous analyses of previously cited and new evidence now make direct cultural contact the simplest possible explanation for the co-occurrence of various cultural and biological traits in Polynesia and the Americas. In our view, convergence, coincidence, and independent adaptive innovation simply do not offer credible alternative explanations for the patterns described in this volume and summarized more briefly below. The archaeological evidence also clearly shows that these patterns are not the result of transference into and through the Pacific by Europeans in postcontact times.
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Archaeological investigations were conducted in 2001 and 2003 at several sites on Mangareva, Taravai, Agakauitai, Aukena, and Kamaka Islands, Gambier Archipelago, French Polynesia.